This blog started out as a way for family and friends to follow us through our first adoption journey...now it is just a journal of the everyday craziness of our life raising four littles

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. In love He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved." Ephesians 1:3-6

Friday, April 4, 2014

Project 52: week forty

March 23-29, 2014

Sunday Snapshots:

Declan and Elliana had a turn in helping mommy in the kitchen! We've been using the bread machine a lot lately to make pizza dough (can't break away from our Sunday night pizza tradition, but we are trying to do more homemade pizzas rather than box!)

Declan loves helping!!

And then they love watching it go around and around. Elliana danced with the motion and when it stopped they would both say "uh oh"

We spent time at Mimi and Papa's pool one day. The kids were able to go several times during the week when they had sleepovers!

still can't quite grasp that it takes two double strollers to cart my children!

Colt is doing so well in the bumbo!

Chick-Fil-A picnic with Mimi

We are thankful for windy days! The kids got Daddy a kite for his birthday and we could finally fly it! Now everytime we are in the garage and Declan sees it he points at it and wants to go fly it. Raelynn will look out the window and say "the branches are moving, can we go fly a kite?" :)

Raelynn flying the kite!

Mimi and Papa left on Wednesday to go back to Michigan. We look forward to August when we will all be together again!

Sweet moments--
Declan likes straws now. He brought me his sippy cup and a straw. So I filled it up and let him drink with a straw. Elliana grabs the lid and brings it over to him and tries to put it on. He was so sweet, he offered her the straw. I am so happy it went on long enough I could grab my camera and capture it. It was so cute watching him try to actually get the straw in her mouth and him so lovingly share his drink:)

More sweet moments--as I'm sitting outside in the chair making my shopping list I hear Raelynn's voice helping her little brother get on her tricycle. She takes his feet and tries to put them on the pedal and make him push (he can't quite get it yet!)

Then she hops on the 'trunk' of the bike and the real truth comes out--she wanted him to pedal so she could get a ride! haha. Either way, it was sweet and melted my heart:)

Then just moments later Raelynn had to go potty. I stay out in my chair and soon hear screaming and crying. All three kids are in the bathroom. Declan was holding the toilet seat down on Raelynn's hand and she was standing in a puddle of pee. She was screaming in pain and crying because she had an accident. Declan is giving his 'little brother grin' and Elliana is just an innocent onlooker, who was beginning to play in the puddle.

Never a dull moment around here:)

Saturday we attempted to go to a splash pad, but they were not open yet. (Which, in my opinion when it is 85+ degrees they need to be open!) So we had our own splash pad in the back yard--sprinklers!

No comments:

Post a Comment

"Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world." James 1:27

"Learn to do good;Seek justice,Reprove the ruthless,Defend the orphan,Plead for the widow."Isaiah 1:17

Our Adoption Timeline

7/4/13 Elliana arrives in the USA and is home FOREVER!!7/2/13 US Embassy appointment6/30/13 Brent leaves for Ethiopia7/20/13 Embassy Clearance6/13/13 Submitted to the US Embassy4/13/13 Found out Allison is pregnant...again! 4/12/13 Leave Ethiopia and return home4/9/13 Court Hearing in Ethiopia4/4/13 On a jetplane to Ethiopia!2/26/13 Preliminary Court1/3/13 Submitted to Federal Court12/28/12 REFERRAL!! It's a girl!11/29/12 #2 on the waitin list11/8/12 #2 on the waiting list and homestudy addendum for age 0-14 months10/11/12 Elliana is born in Ethiopia10/1/12 #5 on the waiting list9/29/12 Homestudy addendum to add Declan9/23/12 #15 on the waiting list9/12/12 #23 on the waiting list8/2/12 #26 on the waiting list7/17/2012 Declan is born7/6/12 #32 on the waiting list6/11/12 #35 on the waiting list5/7/12 #36 on the waiting list4/10/12 #42 on the waiting list3/20/12 #44 on the waiting list3/12/12 Dossier received in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia2/10/12 Mailed dossier to West Sands1/4/12 Received Certification of Acceptability to Adopt Children in the state of Arizona12/12/11 Received dossier from West Sands11/30/11 International homestudy complete11/29/11 Fingerprint clearances FINALLY came in!!11/19/11 Meeting with social worker to update homestudy11/17/11 Found out Allison is pregnant!11/17/11 Approved with West Sands Adoptions11/15/11 Mailed application to West Sands Adoptions11/6/11 God directs us to Ethiopia10/25/11 Domestic Homestudy complete!10/14/11 All reference letters and paperwork handed in9/22/11 County Clerk mailed the fingerprints to the FBI9/20/11 Second meeting with social worker for homestudy9/13/11 First meeting with social worker for homestudy9/1/11 Mailed fingerprints to County Clerk8/28/11 Fingerprinted